Auriemma excited Elliott back at UConn

UNCASVILLE — Geno Auriemma did not mince words.

In March, only hours after Jamelle Elliott was fired as the head coach of the Cincinnati women’s basketball team, Auriemma turned to social media to vent. Smoke billowing from each ear, Auriemma ripped the move on Twitter.

“Positively disgraceful that Jamelle Elliott was let go at Cincinnati. Anyone interested in that job would be well advised to do their homework,” he wrote on his personal account.

Shortly after learning her fate, Elliott spoke with one of her most trusted confidants, that being Auriemma. Taking a more delicate tone than what he displayed for the world to see, Auriemma told Elliott, a forward on UConn’s first national championship team and a former assistant of his, to “just hang in there.” He promised that she would have opportunities to stay involved in college athletics down the road.

Elliott made one big admission during the conversation.

“I talked to her about what her plans were and what she wanted to do next. She made it pretty clear, I don’t want to coach for a while — maybe ever again, I don’t know,” Auriemma said Friday at Mohegan Sun, where he appeared for an autograph session. “Before she got into being a coach, she was in the administrative track. She was working in our athletic department.

“She keeps reminding me, I kind of talked her into going into coaching, first with us on our staff and then with Cincinnati. I think she’s always wanted to be in an administrative capacity.”

An opportunity to return to the business side of college athletics presented itself on Wednesday, when Elliott was named the associate athletic director for the university’s new National “C” club.

The club was created to enhance networking and mentor-

ship opportunities for current and former UConn student-athletes.

“I talked to her about it and I talked to our AD (David Benedict) about it,” Auriemma said. “He was very supportive and very interested. I’m glad that she’s back. She’s an incredible person and an incredible human being.

“I don’t know where her future is beyond now. I can see her being a great administrator for a long, long time.”

At one point in Elliott’s mind, the plan, of course, was to be a great head coach for a long, long time. And, after leading Cincinnati to 19 wins and the WNIT in her ninth season at the helm, there were reasons to believe that she was on the path to doing just that.

The Bobcats apparently thought otherwise

“I think they used her out there,” Auriemma said. “I don’t care if you fire somebody. That’s your prerogative as an athletic director. We all know going into coaching that if you’re not successful, you’re going to lose your job — there’s a good chance at that. I think this was their fourth or fifth AD, I don’t know what the hell. They played in a high school gym this year, which kind of sucked for them.”

It’s the timing of the decision that continues to bother Auriemma.

“It’s been really hard to build a program out there for a lot of different reasons. Ultimately, you’re responsible for that. So, two years ago fire her. Don’t wait until you’re opening a new building and start fresh when she just had the best season in (15) years.”

Elliott, who finished her career ranked second in school history in rebounding (1,054) and 11th in scoring (1,387), will be in charge of helping to set up networking, internship and mentoring opportunities for alumni and current student-athletes in her new role.

“Little by little we just kept talking about it and talking about it,” Auriemma said. “David got to work on some things that he wanted to see happen at UConn and that she could fill. It all kind of came together.”